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OF THE OPHTHALMIA, OR
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should be kept quiet, avoiding all violent efforts, eitner of body ormind, and encouraging sleep as much as possible.
MEDICINE.------This is one of those diseases wherein great
hurt is often done by external applications. Almost every personpretends to be possessed of a remedy for the cure of sore eyes.These remedies generally consist of eye-waters and ointments, withother external applications, which do mischief twenty times foronce they do good. People ought therefore to be very cautioushow they use such things, as even the pressure upon the eyes oftenincreases the malady.
Bleeding, in a violent inflammation of the eyes, is always neces-sary. This should be performed as near the part affected as pos-sible. An adult may lose ten or twelve ounces of blood from thejugular vein, and the operation may be repeated according to theurgency of the symptoms. If it should not be convenient to bleedin the neck, the same quantity may be let from the arm, or any-other part of the body.
Leeches are often applied to he temples, or under the eyes, withood effect. The wounds must be suffered to bleed for some hours,and if the bleeding stop soon, it may be promoted by the applica-tion of cloths dipt in warm water. In obstinate cases, it will be ne-cessary to repeat this operation several times.
Opening and diluting medicines are by no means to be neglected.Tire patient may take a small dose of vitriolated natron (Glauber'ssalts), and cream of tartar, every second or third day, or a decoc-tion of tamarinds with senna. If these be not agreeable, gentledoses of rhubarb and nitre, a little of the lenitive electuary, orany other mild purgative, will answer the same end. The patientat the same time must drink freely of water-gruel, tea, whey, orany other weak diluting liquor. He ought likewise to take, atbed time, a large draught of very weak wine-whey, in orderto promote perspiration. His feet and legs must frequently bebathed in lukewarm water, and his head shaved twice or thricea week, and afterwards washed in cold water. This has oftena remarkably good effect.
If the inflammation does not yield to these evacuations, blister-ing-plasters must be applied to the temples, behind the ears, orupon the neck, and kept open for some time by the mild blister-ing ointment. 1 have seldom known these, if long enough keptopen, fail to remove the most obstinate inflammation of the eyes;but for this purpose it is often necessary to continue the dischargefor several weeks.
When the disease has been of long standing, I have seen veryextraordinary effects from a seton in the neck, or between theshoulders, especially the latter. It should be put upwards anddownwards, or in the direction of the spine, and in the middlebetween the shoulder blades. It may be dressed twice a day withointment of yellow wax (yellow basilicon). I have known patients,who had been blind for a considerable time, recover sight by means>f ;i setou placed as above. When the seton is put across the